Puppet Master
by Windupt0y
Summary: Tired of other Champions believing her to be a mindless automation, Orianna pleads with Zed, who'd utterly humiliated her in their first match versus each other, to share his expertise with her so she may grow as strong as her peers and gain their respect. But instead of finding the approval of others, she develops an unanticipated intimacy with the man who has become her Master.


**Fisselig****  
**

_A/N: Hi everyone! I'm really excited to share my first full-length (projected xd) fanfiction with you all. Orianna x Zed is a ship I've loved for a long time, and so I very much hope you all enjoy what's become of my brainchild. While you read this fic, I prompt you to picture Orianna in her Winter Wonder Skin (or Heartseeker, though it won't align with some of the descriptions), and Zed in his classic, Championship, Shockblade, or Galaxy Slayer skin. Also, this first chapter will (probably?) be significantly longer than the subsequent ones, so don't use this chapter's length as a precedent in any way. Any criticism and feedback are much appreciated!  
If possible, please avoid searching up the translations for each of the chapter's titles until you've finished reading the completed fanfiction.  
Special thanks to Owl, whose praise and advice was invaluable.  
All my love and appreciation to David 3  
_

* * *

"Hey, Ori, you wanna do me a favour?"

Orianna popped her head up. She'd been sitting against her tower, idly inspecting a wilting daisy while waiting for minions to spawn. Its petals slipped out of her fingers as she caught sight of Vi, her jungler, who was peeking around the corner of the raptor pit.

"You know you're fighting Zed, yeah? Make my life a little easier- try _not_ getting killed by him, alright?" The normally-playful Champion was smiling as she said this, but Orianna observed a definite sobriety in her tone. She nodded eagerly, wanting to show she was listening attentively. It wasn't often that others went out of their way to talk to her. Orianna appreciated that Vi was doing so, even if it was only to ask a favour- she was, after all, giving her an opportunity to earn her respect.

"Yes, Vi. I'll do my best," the Lady of Clockwork replied, trying to plaster as much confidence over her words as her gentle voice would allow. Still, Vi frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with Orianna's vow.

"I don't want your best, Ori. I want Zed kept in check." Orianna had never known Vi to act so sternly before. Whenever she saw the Piltover Enforcer, whether in the League or out with friends, Orianna always took note of how fun, how lively she was- something the hextech girl wished to emulate.

"Look, all my mids are just getting dumpstered by this guy. I don't wanna deal with him running wild again. Getting kinda old..." said Vi, cupping one giant gauntlet in the other. Her unsmiling expression indicated to Orianna a dire need for her to perform well. She wanted not to be intimidated by this, but it wasn't very easy maintaining a calm state of mind after being presented the image of getting thrashed by Zed. Usually, she felt she had enough confidence versus her regular share of midlaners, but the way Vi spoke of this unfamiliar Champion paired with the expectations she had instilled an exhausting dread in the clockwork girl.

"So just take it easy, okay? Don't try to please me or anything by trying to beat him. You just need to _survive_."

After everything the Piltover Enforcer had said, Orianna didn't know how easy it would be to _'simply survive.' _But before she could respond, Vi flashed her a charming grin and slipped back into the jungle.

The Lady of Clockwork exhaled, a shaky sigh, as the first wave of allied minions shuffled into lane. She stood up, turning to face the ornate hextech instrument floating to her left. Her companion and protector, the Ball, gave off an eager, expectant energy despite its abiotic nature.

"Come on, Ball. You and I have foes to kill today," sang Orianna, as sweetly as if she were inviting her companion to dance. The clockwork girl hoped to give herself courage this way, even if she had no real belief in what she was saying. Morale boosts were good. Vi was giving her a good opportunity to impress her and the rest of the team, and it would be a great pity to throw it away.

_All I have to do is survive._ She embraced the Ball affectionately, its painted, poro-like face unresponsive, as she stepped into lane.

The latent magic floating throughout the Rift gave off a low, resonant hum, an ominous vibration that Orianna figured would have made her palms sweat had she still been human. The sound dissolved into a sort of white noise as the clamoring of minions brawling quickly took over. Orianna tossed a few gears at the first few enemy minions, more concerned about where Zed might be or what he could be planning than properly managing the state of the minion wave. She inhaled, wanting to clear her harried mind, only to be met with a thick, suffocating air that offered little in the way of relief.

Just when Orianna was about to send the Ball to scout up the lane, a flying hunk of metal whirled its way toward her minions. The girl jumped, gasped involuntarily. The thing had cleanly decapitated all three of her minions at the front line, then carved out a home in the soft dirt- dangerously close to Orianna's feet. As she stepped back further, she examined this object, and found what appeared to be a multi-bladed shuriken. Her eyes traced the outline of each perfectly curved edge, noting their unbelievable sharpness. So sharp, she feared it might cut her if she so much as looked at it too closely. Had it struck her instead…

A chilling blanket of shadow cloaked the lane in darkness, drawing Orianna out of her enthrallment. She perked up, unprepared for the sight of hulking figure that stood before her.

_Oh, you're tall,_ she almost said out loud. Zed stood taciturn and motionless, his upper body clad in a sleek steel armor. He made not one movement, and yet there was something about him, a subtlety in his pose, that emanated an immense strength. Orianna had heard descriptions of Zed, caught glimpses of him around the Institute, but she'd never had the misfortune of being pitted directly against him- until now. His many blades and shurikens glinted dimly in the little sunlight that managed to find its way to the Rift. Her Ball was too far out in the lane to return to her just now, and she eyed it wistfully, yearning for the comforting feel of it in her arms.

"Admiring my shurikens?" asked Zed, his voice deep, slick, and resonant. The highly dignified darkness of it was almost able to conceal its subtle yet unsettling wetness, the near-oily texture therein. Orianna's own voice, on the other hand, had caught in her throat, unwilling to leave the safety of her artificial larynx.

"The craftsmanship is excellent, of course. I can have more delivered to you personally, if you so desire. Or would you like to bear witness instead to the power of shadows?" Zed mused.

To this, the Ball buzzed harshly, vibrating in place so as to ward off the perceived threat. Orianna's hextech heart jumped at her ally's challenging gesture, while the blazing scarlet of Zed's eyes became two squinting slits that glared at the Ball, inviting confrontation.

"No, Ball, don't!" she whispered. Though the Ball did immediately revert to its passive state, Orianna could hear Zed chuckling derisively at her.

"Mm, I see. The little puppet is afraid of me- is that what you are? A puppet?" mocked Zed, as if he were speaking to a pet. He cocked his head to one side, then slid his wristblade effortlessly into the minion before him. Orianna swallowed painfully- she could hardly focus on formulating a response when the assassin before her seemed as though he was ready to leap on her at any moment.

"No? What, then? A doll? A toy?" asked Zed. He paused expectantly. "Don't be impolite. Can't you answer for yourself?"

For whatever reason, she couldn't. The clockwork girl was preoccupied with the notion presented- of her being a mindless plaything. Something whose limbs moved only via the pulling of strings. She recoiled mentally.

"Fine, then. I'll simply have to take you apart and find out the hard way," said Zed. He seized swiftly the shurikens stored on his back, flourishing and twirling them dangerously. Orianna flinched. Zed scoffed.

Threats weren't something Orianna was unfamiliar with. She recalled the first few matches she played after joining the League. Other champions tried to frighten her this way, and sometimes it was successful. But she grew accustomed to the treatment more quickly than she expected. In fact, she learned to laugh at her bruised opponents who roared furiously at her and the Ball after all their taunting backfired. This time, however, she got the unshakeable feeling that Zed wasn't simply threatening her- he was making a promise.

Orianna stepped back, feeling that the air around her had suddenly grown too thin. She commanded the Ball to return to her. Resting her chin atop her metal companion, she chose the grass beneath her to train her eyes upon. The sight of it proved to be a necessary distraction from Zed's violent minion-massacre just a few feet in front of her. He'd been talking to her all the while, but she thought it most productive to avoid listening.

"_How am I going to fight him? How can I deal with him?_" Orianna wondered. It was a little late to work all this out, but it would be suicide to walk up and fight him without any strategy. She figured that her highest priority should be to stay as far from him as possible at all times- if ever he came into a position to lay but a finger on her, she would be in grave danger.

"Little puppet," snarled Zed. Orianna dared to peek up, but kept her distance. She'd liked to have told him off, that she hated that he called her that, but she worried that she'd just come off as childish or silly.

"I'm talking to you," he continued, after he'd slashed the life from Orianna's remaining minions. The clockwork girl screwed her eyes shut. She hadn't intended to provoke or anger him; she just knew that giving him the response he wanted could invite further distress.

Orianna blinked her eyes open, taking in the scene before her. Zed's discontent was readily apparent despite the metal mask he wore that obscured all facial expression. Both he and his minion wave had advanced to a worrying proximity, and the Lady of Clockwork had consequently been forced almost all the way back to her tower. She reminded herself that she was still relatively safe, with the Ball in her arms and her tower backing her, but she knew that, despite Vi's instruction, it wouldn't serve her team to simply hide by her tower the whole time. She had to do something.

"Ravage!" she commanded the Ball, who flew at Zed and the enemy minions. Orianna watched closely for the impact left by her protector, hoping that Zed might be injured enough to back off.

No such luck- he seemed largely unharmed, and wholly unimpressed. With an insulting nonchalance, he laughed, reaching back for his shurikens once more.

In an instant, Orianna was confronted with that same screaming metal sheet, but this time, it was aimed at her. She cowered in fright. The sound of blades chewing into their target, grating and dissonant, shared a disturbing synchronicity with the sudden jolt that struck Orianna in her left arm.

"Ah!" she cried out indignantly. Her right hand flew to clutch her wounded left arm, but found nothing. Her eyes went wide upon realizing that the shuriken had taken her arm clean off inches above the elbow.

"You would be very unwise to aggravate me further. Need I remind you that you've yet to meet my shadows?" taunted Zed. His voice burned in the clockwork girl's ears. She envied that arrogance; to tease and ridicule one's opponents without fear of repercussion. Zed seemed so comfortable in his hubris that she wondered if it was rational to doubt his threats at all. The notion plagued her as she knelt down over her severed limb. One look at it told her it couldn't be easily reconnected. Unless she wanted to stay and fight with one arm, she'd either have to return to base to be healed or summon an arsenal of specialized hextech repair equipment on the spot.

The decision was made for her when the now-massive wave of enemy minions stormed her tower. She was about to get up to deal with them when she saw Zed approaching her and her tower as well. For a moment, she was confused. Usually, enemy Champions avoided getting too close to her when she was backed by her tower.

_But if he's getting this close, he must have something up his sleeve._ Orianna scrambled backwards at this realization, only to be greeted with the stone cold of her tower behind her. Her body tensed in anticipation for whatever Zed, who now stood only a hair's distance from her, had in mind.

He was so close now. Too close. Close enough that she caught the metallic scent of his ironclad body. Blood and steel. His hands, poised to strike, made the tiniest of micro-movements and it was enough to set off Orianna into a full panic. She flashed. Her precious saving-grace spell, burned to escape from what might have been no threat at all. The moment she cast the spell did she regret her decision. Head drooped in humiliation, she expected to hear mocking or laughter from her opponent. Surprisingly, there was none.

Lifting herself out of her shame, she saw Zed still at her tower, clearly confused- or maybe shocked- by her most recent course of action. Orianna locked eyes with him for the briefest of moments, and he was jolted back to his distinguished self once more.

"Well… How delightful it is to receive the respect I deserve," said Zed. Orianna abhorred the malicious humour in his tone. She retreated behind the obscuration of her tower, and began recalling.

"But know that I always see you, you simpleminded thing. It doesn't matter if you don't want to play with me. I will force you to participate, sooner or later," he threatened from out of sight. 

* * *

It turned out to be sooner rather than later. Orianna met the ground hard. _Thud_. Bludgeoning pain overcame her. A grey blur clouded her sight. Her back was pressured so hard into the packed earth beneath her it began to burn. She tried to cough. Blinked hazily. There was something above her. When her vision finally cleared, she was met with Zed's telltale metal mask staring directly down at her.

She'd been ambushed from the jungle the moment she returned to lane. He'd appeared out of thin air, shattered the Ball with a single shuriken, then threw her down as if she weighed nothing at all. It would have been impossible to resist, even if she had reacted fast enough to try. And now she was being crushed under his weight, her petite frame utterly defenseless against the bulky assassin. The clockwork girl tried in vain to shove him off of her, but to no avail. It only inspired Zed to lean even more heavily onto her already-suffering body.

"Ngh… stop, stop it!" she gasped, wriggling uncomfortably under Zed's immense pressure. His breath was frosty contempt on her synthetic skin, for which she wanted to sink further into the ground beneath. Through his untelling mask, she could see him observing her struggle impassively, emotionlessly, as if he were the machine and she the human. He could kill her now with ease, but for whatever twisted reason, he didn't. Orianna loathed the way he drew out her torment; she only wanted it to be over with, but she knew that at the very least, she needed to _try_ to survive. If there was ever a way out of this, she had to take it, no matter how grueling or humiliating.

"Please don't kill me. Pl-"

Her begging was cut off by Zed, who'd abruptly surged upright. The clockwork girl could only lay motionless for a while, dazed by her sudden release from Zed's crushing pressure. Her coherence impaired, all her mind could grasp was a newfound gratitude for her ability to finally lift her head off the ground… which made her realize that this was her opportunity- Zed had forfeit control! Orianna struggled with all her remaining might to free herself from his clutches, but even with just his legs locking her down was she completely unable to budge. Zed seemed perfectly content to leave her squirming, more interested in whatever was happening off to his left.

"Kayn- it's you, is it not? Come here," demanded Zed. At the same time, Orianna gave in wearily, resigning herself to defeat. As her head plopped back into the mercifully soft grass, she found herself having to fend off tears. She couldn't remember ever feeling so hopelessly inferior, her efforts so futile.

"Yes, Master Zed," replied Kayn. Or, at least, someone who Orianna assumed was Kayn. Footsteps approached. "Amazing. Does your bloodlust know no bounds? You are never without a victim, Master," he continued, as if Orianna wasn't there, listening. Which she wasn't. She stared blankly at the muted sky above, deaf to anything but her own despair and disbelief. How could this have happened? She had what initially seemed to be such an easy way to make her teammates happy for once, and she blew it. But she did exactly as Vi had told her. She'd played as carefully, as safely as ever. She did exactly as Vi had told her. And the burning, murderous irony of it all was that playing so safe was what got her in this situation. If only she'd had some get-out-of-jail-free card to get to safety. If only she'd been less unreasonably frightened earlier on.

_ If only I still had my flash._

"Your praise does not go unacknowledged, my disciple, but this is not the time. I have matters to attend to in other lanes," said Zed. Orianna wondered if his dispassion was a deliberate means of insulting her. She elected to steal a glance at her assailant, grateful that he was no longer actively staring her down, and wondered how he could think so little of her as to consider the opponents in other lanes more immediately concerning than his own.

"Would you like a share of the gold? The choice is yours," he offered Kayn. Orianna blinked, completely lost as to what Zed was talking about. _A share of the gold?_ Yes, Zed would receive 300 gold for killing her… so he was going to give some of that gold to Kayn afterwards. Was that it?

"If it serves you, then gladly," replied Kayn, grinning. His unbridled enthusiasm sickened Orianna.

Zed then stood up, liberating his victim at last of his unbreakable constraint. It wasn't something she expected in the slightest; if she had, she would have fought to escape the moment he gave her a chance. But the window he offered was too small, and now Kayn was upon her. He collapsed on her in an instant.

As his weight burdened Orianna, his hands locking around her wrists like handcuffs, she came to understand- Zed was giving her to Kayn so he could earn his own gold for assisting in the kill. Like she was a tool; a resource for her opponents to milk.

It was just about the most humiliating thing Orianna had ever heard of. And she, most understandably, wanted no part in it.

"Ugh… Hey!" Orianna cried miserably. she fought her hardest once again to escape her captor's clutches- and once more, she achieved nothing but laughter from her foes. Kayn's almost comically maniacal grin failed to incite the same fear that Zed's cold, unwavering glare did. Instead, it inspired her to fight back harder. Her upper body burned with the ache of effort, yet nothing was to come of her struggle. She feigned exhaustion, allowing Kayn to press her wrists into the ground. Then, when he'd let his guard down, she pushed up against him with all her might. She only managed to get her arms about half a foot off the ground before Kayn forced her back down without much strain at all.

"Hah- you're not much of a Champion without that Ball of yours," sneered Kayn. "But then, you're barely a Champion _even when_ it's saving you all the time, hm?"

That hurt. Orianna had had her assumptions about what other Champions said about her. Maybe it was wishful thinking to believe that she entered their thoughts at all. Regardless, she was often plagued with the question of how others perceived her. That she was small, weak, helpless. That she didn't deserve the status of Champion. That she was worthless. And now her suspicions, to some extent, were being confirmed.

She tried to hold a scowl, hoping to return Kayn's malice, but her defiant side already was searching for somewhere to cower away. If she couldn't physically fight back, then maybe there was something she could spit back at him so she might preserve her dignity. Something clever, something witty…

"The little plaything tries to resist you, Kayn," said Zed. He monitored the situation passively, but his many blades were still at the ready. "With me, the mere thought never so much as crossed her mind- has she one at all, well… I can't be certain."

A part of Orianna wanted to be offended, but the much larger part of her that feared to die in this way managed to drown out the other.

"Do I have to tell you what this means, disciple?" Orianna saw that Kayn, once a bloodthirsty lunatic, had in an instant been reduced to a humbled child by Zed's admonishment.

"No, Master," Kayn muttered, shaking his head, his brow furrowed. Orianna squirmed as Kayn intensified his already-tight grip on her wrists.

"Then be quick and strike the little doll, so that I may have her." 

* * *

The tick tock beat of Orianna's heart became thunder in her ears as she tried to slink out of the base without any of her teammates noticing. Her death had been broadcast all across the Rift- meeting her team now would only result in castigation and shame. Fortunately, Irelia was the only one in the area when she respawned, and the Ionian blade dancer was too busy haggling vehemently with the shopkeeper to take notice of her.

As for her other teammates, she could see Varus and Braum far off in the distance botlane. And most important of all, Vi was nowhere to be seen. Orianna wasn't sure if she could handle a scolding from her right now, after she'd failed so miserably to do the one thing Vi had asked of her. Put that way, she had enough reason to scold herself, never mind what Vi would have to say to her.

By some great stroke of luck, Orianna made it past the mid inhibitor unnoticed. Though she'd dodged the bullet for now, she knew sooner or later that her teammates would find and confront her- unless she redeemed herself in the meantime. How, or if, she would pull that off was highly uncertain.

"Hey- Piltovian! I see you," called a voice she'd heard just moments ago. The Lady of Clockwork halted, clenching her fists. _Spoke too soon._ Or rather, thought too soon- if she'd said anything aloud, Irelia would have heard her earlier and chewed her out then.

Painfully, Orianna turned to face Irelia. The Ionian approached with an aura of visible scorn; her face tightened with irritation. "I'm surprised you could find a way to die this early on," she sniped haughtily. "Amazing as it is, I'd appreciate it if you reserved such feats for when we're on opposing teams. Try _not_ to be a detriment, if you can help it. And quit hiding behind your precious little Ball while I'm talking to you."

Orianna trembled in shame as Irelia spat her virulent rancor. She wished for a way to make Irelia stop, to make her leave, but she didn't know how to do so without inviting further derision. The best thing she could do, she figured, was nothing- if Irelia met no resistance, maybe she'd let up.

"What? Are you- Stop. Calm down. I'm not going to strike you over this. But I will if you start crying," said Irelia. _What? Oh no. Do I look like I'm going to cry?_ The lump in Orianna's throat swelled. "Fine. Go on now. Be good and play safe. If you don't, then I'll have to assume you enjoy being punished," Irelia warned, turning away with an aggressive firmness.

_"So much for making new friends,"_ was the first thought that entered her mind, and it was a handful of salt poured directly onto a fresh, gaping wound.

* * *

_A/N (again): Hope you all enjoyed! I do have the next three chapters 90% written, but I'm not super satisfied with them yet. Expect the next chapter to release somewhere between late August and the end of September. See you then!_  
_(I'll probably end up deleting chapter-end author notes once the subsequent chapter is released so nobody's losing fluidity between the chapters)_


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